Fifty years ago, on Oct. 22, 1962, President John F. Kennedy addressed the American people to tell them that the Soviet Union had installed missiles in Cuba that were capable of striking targets as far away as Washington, DC. He also announced an immediate blockade of Cuba by the U.S. Navy and stated that no ships would be allowed to enter Cuban ports without inspection and clearance by the Navy.

The Taunton Daily Gazette, Taunton, MA

Writer

Posted Oct. 21, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 21, 2012 at 9:01 PM

Posted Oct. 21, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 21, 2012 at 9:01 PM

Fall River

» Social News

Fifty years ago, on Oct. 22, 1962, President John F. Kennedy addressed the American people to tell them that the Soviet Union had installed missiles in Cuba that were capable of striking targets as far away as Washington, DC. He also announced an immediate blockade of Cuba by the U.S. Navy and stated that no ships would be allowed to enter Cuban ports without inspection and clearance by the Navy.

Historians agree that the crisis triggered by the Soviet decision to implant missiles in Cuba was one of the most momentous foreign policy confrontations of the second half of the 20th century, and, almost certainly, brought the world closer to nuclear war than any event since the conclusion of World War II. The Cuban crisis is also now recognized as the defining event of John F. Kennedy’s presidency.

In October 1962, the U.S. Navy destroyer, USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. was part of the task force assigned to blockade Cuba. On Oct. 26, at the height of the crisis, a boarding party consisting of three officers and a radioman from the Kennedy, along with the executive officer from the USS Pierce, boarded the SS Marucla, a Lebanese freighter under a Panamanian flag, manned by Greeks and chartered by the Italians to the Russians. This was the only ship boarded during the confrontation, since all other Soviet ships transporting missiles to Cuba reversed course. Over the next few weeks, all missiles were removed from Cuba, and the crisis was resolved.

The USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. was named for President Kennedy’s eldest brother, a U.S. Navy pilot, who was lost on a daring mission over the English Channel in 1944. The vessel was christened by Kennedy’s younger sister, Jean Kennedy Smith in 1945; in 1946 Robert F. Kennedy served aboard her for several months as a seaman apprentice. In September 1962, President Kennedy entertained a group of friends on the ship for the first day of the America’s Cup Race off Rhode Island.

In 1973, the Kennedy was deactivated and brought to Fall River. A group of sailors who had served on the ship saved her from being scrapped, and for the last thirty-nine years, the ship has been a museum where visitors can gain a first-hand understanding of life aboard a destroyer and of the weapons that made the Kennedy such a formidable warship.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Cuban missile crisis, and the Kennedy’s central role in its peaceful outcome, a series of events has been organized that will take place aboard the ship at its dock in Battleship Cove. The celebration will begin with a private cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25, and close with a symposium on the Cuban missile crisis on Saturday, Oct. 27.

Attending the reception will be Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, the only surviving sibling of Joseph, John and Robert Kennedy, and the person who christened the ship in 1945. Other members of the Kennedy family have been invited, including former U.S. Representative Joseph P. Kennedy II, and his son, Joseph P. Kennedy III, who is running for election to Congress this autumn. The reception will honor those who have given so much—in time, money and hard work-- to preserve the Kennedy as a memorial to all those who served in destroyers in the post World War II United States Navy.

— Symposium (Reservations needed): Frederick Hitz, former Inspector General of the CIA; Paul Sanger, Communications Officer of Kennedy and member of the boarding party; James Rucker, Combat Information Center Officer and on watch in the Pilot House during the boarding; and Jonathan “Toby” Mac, Vice President US Navy Memorial. Sessions: 9-10:30 a.m.; second session 12:30-2 p.m., if needed.

— Commemoration Service: Commemorate the role played by our Armed Forces during the Cuban Missile Crisis by listening to reflections of the event and a short prayer to remember those who protected the United States during the Cold War. Time: 10:45 a.m.

— Continuous historic film shorts in outdoor theatre: Immerse yourself into 1962 and the events leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Time: Every hour on the hour (except 11 due to Commemoration Ceremony)

Any school or student groups wishing to attend the Saturday symposium are invited to call for details. Please call Paula Hague at 508-678-1100 Ext. 101 to make reservations as space is limited.